You and I
by Oxymoronic Alliteration
Summary: A look at Tony and Tim as a fledgling couple  set Season 2 . The first of eight in my Bare Series


_Hey, little boy, would you like a ride?_

_A lollipop?_

_A puppy?_

_How about a baseball bat?_

_There's one in my pants._

Tony's eyes slid sidelong, carefully looking over the youngest and newest member of their team: Timothy McGee. After almost a year spent working in tandem with the team on a number of high profile cases, the young man had finally been promoted to a full-fledged member of the team.

Well, no, that wasn't quite true. He was still a probationary agent; a "probie," as Tony took much glee in constantly reminding him. But it was only in teasing that he did so, in an endearing, loving kind of way.

Because that was what Tony did when he liked someone—_truly_ liked someone. No flowers or gifts. He was the kind of kid who'd pull on a girl's pigtail so she'd notice him. Of course, in this case, it wasn't a girl and he wasn't pulling on any pigtails, but it was still a game of cat and mouse, with Tony taking on the feline role with great fervor

_No, thank you. My mom, she said to never talk to strangers. _

_So a kiss is out of the question, then?_

_I'll take a chance._

For his part, Tim had played the role of the timid, little mouse very well. He'd ducked his head and averted his eyes any time Tony had made a pass, even in teasing. It wasn't that he was unaccustomed to male attention—he had, surprisingly, been a big hit with many of his college peers—but that romantic attention from anyone could send him into a blushing fit, especially when he was just as attracted to his would-be suitor as said suitor was to him.

Tony had made the first move only a few weeks after Tim's first day as their probie (_his_ probie). That Friday, he'd invited Tim to join him for drinks at one of the local bars. Scarcely had they sat before Tony had ordered the first round, getting both of them Lemon Drops. Tim's drinking mostly consisted of white wine and, if he was feeling adventurous, a rum and coke, so he had knocked back the drink without a second thought, coughing as the vodka and lemon concoction hit him.

Seeing his co-worker hack from the acidity of the drink made Tony throw his own head back with laughter. Silly little probie. He'd have to learn to hold his liquor.

A few drinks later and Tony had one very tipsy young agent on his hands. Rather than let him drive, Tony had loaded Tim into his own car and headed back to his apartment where he deposited him onto the couch before settling into his own bed. He'd wanted so much to pull Tim into his bed and go to the next level, but he couldn't take advantage of him in that state.

No, their first time would wait until a month later when Tim was sober, able, and willing.

_You and I_

_You take my hand _

_Leaving me breathless _

_Feel the beat of my racing heart _

_So you'll understand_

_And know why we whisper in hallways, _

"_I'll be with you always." _

_Running together…_

_Forever you and I._

Dating had presented problems for them both. NCIS had no formal rule on dating amongst co-workers, but it was frowned upon and greatly discouraged. Not to mention Gibbs' own rules on the subject matter. When the relationship in question was between two men it complicated things even greater. It was for that reason that they both decided to keep their relationship under wraps, at least until they felt comfortable enough to come out, not only to their friends and co-workers, but to their families as well. Tim knew his parents would have a hard time accepting it, but Tony's father would probably disown him.

"Why are you in such a rush to come out?" Tony asked on night after an intense session of love making.

Tim was lying on his back, eyes closed as he panted. His naked body shone with sweat and he was still trembling with the aftershocks of ecstasy. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Coming out. Telling people. Telling our families. Why is it such a big deal for you?"

"I guess I feel like I'm lying to them if I don't, like I'm lying to myself. This isn't something I can hide forever. Eventually they're going to be suspicious."

"About what?"

"Why I'm not seeing any girls. Why I'm not married. Why I don't have kids."

"So being a single man automatically makes you gay?"

Tim sighed; he knew Tony wouldn't understand it.

Sensing his disappointment, Tony wrapped his arm around Tim's torso and pulled him toward him. "Look, we've got each other. Every time we're together I get hot. I'm serious," he said in response to Tim's disbelieving snort. "If I could mount you on your desk and not have to worry about repercussions, I would do it in a heart beat." Just the thought of such a thing made his heart race.

"So what if no one else knows? So what if we have to whisper things to each other? Things are fine, right? I mean, you're satisfied." That last comment wasn't a question. Tony would never think he wasn't satisfactory to anyone.

"Yeah," he agreed. "It's just that…it feels almost hollow…"

_Tell me why I should trust you when the girls all lust to touch you?_

'_Cause when I have you near me I go out of my mind. Need help there?_

_You're cute and it's tough to argue with a hard on. Think that you could lend a hand here? _

_If I had the time._

Tony knew he had to keep up appearances, had a reputation to uphold. Though he was dedicated to Tim, he kept the façade of being a ladies man. His wandering eye, his winning smile, his flirtatious tones; they all helped keep many of the women around him certain that he was interested in them and only them. The idea that there may be another woman in their life never entered their mind, let alone the idea that there may be another man.

The arrival of a new skirt in the NCIS headquarters was usually accompanied by a dinner invite by Tony with the implication that it may lead to something more (though it never did). Regardless of whether the woman eagerly took him up on his offer or politely informed him she was already in a committed relationship, almost all of them were visibly pleased by the attention.

But Tim was anything but pleased about it.

"We're dating, right?" he asked one night as the two watched a movie in Tony's apartment. It was some James Bond film (one of the Sean Connery ones, of course), but Tim hadn't caught the title. Besides, in his mind, one Bond film is like any other.

"Of course, McGeek. Isn't that obvious?"

Tim frowned. "Not really. When I've dated someone in the past, neither of us ever went out with someone else."

"I don't believe that."

"What? That two people can be in a monogamous relationship?"

"No, I meant the part about you dating people in the past." Tony laughed at his own jab while Tim merely rolled his eyes. Such words had become common since they'd begun dating, with Tony always waving it off as being a teasing joke.

"Tony, be serious for once."

"I am being serious," he replied as he popped a few popcorn kernels into his mouth. "Look, you know as well as I do that I don't let any of those things go beyond a little flirting."

"What about last Saturday? You took that new girl from accounting to a sushi place. From what I hear, the two of you were there until closing."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, she isn't exactly keeping it under wraps." Seeing Tony's look of shock, he added, "You didn't think men were the only one's eager to kiss and tell, did you?"

Tony shrugged. "We were there until close because she wouldn't stop talking and barely had time to eat. She invited me over to her place, but I said no."

"Fine, but that doesn't explain why you asked her out in the first place."

"Come on, McGee. She just moved here from Nebraska and doesn't know a single person. As the self-appointed head of the NCIS Hospitality Committee, it's my duty to make sure all new hires receive a warm welcome and is given a tour of the city for their own convenience. You know; supermarkets, banks, doctors, dry cleaners."

"I see. Funny, though, that the only ones you seem to take out are female. Is NCIS just not hiring any men these days?"

"Why should I bother with the men? They can take care of themselves. And besides, I would think you'd be more threatened by me taking out the guys; at least with the girls you know there's no competition."

That was true, Tim had to concede. But it didn't completely quell his concerns; that much was obvious to Tony. In a moment of unusual tenderness, he wrapped his arm around Tim's shoulders and pulled him closer to him. "Tim…you've got nothing to worry about. Believe me. Being charming to them is just from my upbringing. It's when I start calling them names and pulling pranks on them that you should be scared."

Seeing Tim's dubious look, Tony dove in to seal the deal. He pressed his lips against Tim's and placed his hands on either side of the other man's face. He felt Tim's deep inhale as he became lost in the kiss. Tim's body slumped toward Tony's as his muscles became almost liquid. He lifted his hand to reciprocate Tony's touch, letting it wrap around the back of Tony's head, his finger entwining with the hair.

Slowly, Tony pulled away, almost smirking at Tim as he sat there, eyes closed tight and cheeks flushed. When Tony's hands left his face, Tim's eyes fluttered open, retaining a sort of glossy look to them. "Did you just do that to make me shut up?"

"Maybe."

"Jerk," was all Tim muttered before diving in for another one.

And in that time, they were content, having just one another.

_You and I_

_You take my hand _

_Leaving me breathless _

_Feel the beat of my racing heart _

_So you'll understand_

_And know why we whisper in hallways, _

"_I'll be with you always." _

_Running together…_

_Forever you and I._

**

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**AN: **This story is the first of eight one-shots I'm writing as part of my _Bare_ Series. Each one shot will be based on a song from the musical of the same name and will chronicle Tony's and Tim's relationship.


End file.
